Category: Tipping

We've all heard the stories about restaurants hiring attractive young servers and forcing them to wear "sexy" clothes. Research suggests that many factors, including the server's appearance, increase the size of the tip paid at the end of the meal. That makes the server happy but is it good for the restaurant? A new paper … Continue reading Are we hiring the wrong servers?

Gender inequity in restaurant management has been in the news again recently. While there has been a lot of hand wringing and finger pointing, there has been much less discussion about what, if anything, we should do about it. It is relatively clear that restaurant management is dominated by men (we have recent survey data … Continue reading Is Tipping Contributing to Gender Inequity in Restaurants?

I’ve had frequent discussions on the emerging trend to get rid of tipping. Many people whose opinion I respect argue that the best approach is to simply raise prices. They cite Danny Meyers and his Union Square Hospitality Group’s announcement that tipping will disappear in their restaurants to be replaced by higher prices. My friend … Continue reading The Case for a Service Charge

There’s been buzz again about the bill to ban employers from taking a share of tips. While Michael Prue was defeated, the bill has been revived by the Liberal MPP who beat him. There appears to be broad support as it heads off to committee for discussion. The basic premise is the “employers” cannot take … Continue reading Is the new Ontario Tip Law a good thing? Maybe not.

The no tipping movement seems to be gaining momentum. We’re hearing multiple stories about restaurant groups (Danny Meyers’ Union Square Hospitality Group) and individual restaurants pledging to move away from tipping. There are a number of good reasons: The ability to distribute wages more equitably – particularly to pay kitchen staff more and to improve … Continue reading No Tipping? Now What?

There has been significant discussion about an increase in the minimum wage to $15/hour. Seattle has implemented a $15/hour minimum and LA, among others, has committed to moving towards it. Rachel Notley, Alberta's new NDP Premier has committed to this standard in Alberta and there is more and more discussion about it across Canada. The … Continue reading $15 Minimum wage could kill tipping

I am sitting here writing a paper on our tipping research and have hit a bit of a wall. I thought it might be worthwhile to do a quick purge of a a couple of issues that have been raised with me lately that I have been thinking about.One of the most common complaints that … Continue reading Some thoughts on tipping

This past Monday April 29th UGSRP held its ‘Tipped Out?’ forum at George Brown College in Toronto. Speakers at the event included academics, restaurateurs and a member of provincial parliament. The audience of industry members and students was treated to a two-hour passionate discussion about this very controversial subject. Here are some of the highlights. … Continue reading Read all about it: UGSRP ‘Tipped Out?’ Forum a success!

There has been considerable discussion around the ownership of gratuities left in restaurants. Recently, two high profile media stories reported servers complaining about having to pay the house a share of their tips. There is also a Private Member’s Bill in Ontario that would forbid restaurants from taking any share of tips from servers. The … Continue reading The Tipping Point – Is There a Fair Share?